Holy Cross Women Top Lafayette 77-45

WORCESTER, Mass. - Freshman guard Bethany O'Dell (Lincoln, R.I.) led the team with 24 points while freshman guard Briana McFadden (Wheaton, Md.) scored a career-high 20 points to lead the women's basketball team past Lafayette in Patriot League play Saturday at Holy Cross' annual Winter Homecoming game at the Hart Center. The Crusaders improve to 9-14 overall and 4-4 in the league while the Leopards drop to 5-18 on the season and 3-5 in the conference.

The Crusaders jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first few minutes of the game as O'Dell scored five points and senior center Kaitlin Foley (Albany, N.Y.) had four. Holy Cross followed up with an 11-6 run that included O'Dell scoring six more points (21-10) to give the Crusaders an 11 point lead at 10:11. Foley and Brittany Keil (Sparta, N.J.) each scored four during a 13-3 streak to push the Crusaders ahead by 20 points at 3:52. Holy Cross went into the break with a 17 point lead (39-22).

At the half O'Dell led the Crusaders with 18 points shooting six of seven from the field including five of six from the three-point range. Holy Cross held Lafayette to 28.6 percent from the field in the first half.

Holy Cross scored 9-6 in the first few minutes of the second half to keep a 20 point advantage over Lafayette as McFadden scored five of the nine points for the Crusaders (48-28). Holy Cross followed up with a 19-7 streak to take a 31 point lead with 3:34 minutes left in the game. The Crusaders gained as much as a 32 points lead with 34 seconds life in the game and won the game by 32 points (77-45).

O'Dell matched her career-high of 24 points while McFadden scored a career-high 20 points for the Crusaders. Foley added 12 points while Keil had 10 rebounds and Ashley McLaughlin (Andover, Mass.) handed out a career-high five assist. Holy Cross held Lafayette to just 29.1 percent from the field. Vanessa Van De Venter led the Leopards with 14 points.

O'Dell was the recipient of the Rev. George L. O'Brien Award that is presented annually to the most valuable player in the women's Winter Homecoming game and is sponsored by the Holy Cross Club of Greater Worcester.

The Crusaders go back on the road for their next three games starting with Army on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

College of the Holy CrossDepartment of Athletics 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610